


Bird Mom

by HyourinmaruIce



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Corrupted Gems, Corruption, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-26
Updated: 2015-06-11
Packaged: 2018-04-01 08:12:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4012297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyourinmaruIce/pseuds/HyourinmaruIce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steven doesn't know where Pearl is, but that doesn't mean he's not going to do everything he can to find her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I don't have time to write, but I figured I'd post some older stuff that I hadn't the confidence to post before. Now I kinda designed my own corrupted Pearl, but I also used this one (http://chekhovandowl.tumblr.com/post/117330816909/pearl-please-its-okay-now-did-someone) as reference because it's awesome. What an awesome artist.

       Steven hadn’t seen Pearl in two weeks. Her presence had filled the house; fridge included, and left him warm when he went to bed knowing he was safe. Garnet and Amethyst were there too, but Pearl was just as important. She cared about Steven in a way that he imagined his mom would, unconditionally and with only a little hesitation at points. She looked out for him, bought his food, gave him money when he needed it… She also protected him when Amethyst was getting out of hand, saw when he needed a hug, helped him learn everything he wanted to know. She prepared him for things.

       He missed her. Garnet told him she would be right back, that she was on a mission, but even Garnet was beginning to sound less than convinced with her own words. Amethyst fidgeted, staring at the portal every time she entered the room. He wanted to know where Pearl was.

       After one day and two weeks, he came up with a plan. Steven didn’t know about everything in the gems world, so he could just hop from pad to pad to see where Pearl might be. She might be in danger and needing help after all, so checking each warp pad would be essential. It’d be like checking the galaxy warp! Only for Pearl.

       With enthusiasm, he packed for his journey. Just like for the spire, he fit all he could into his cheeseburger. A couple extra t-shirts, first-aid kit in case Pearl was hurt, a blanket in case she was cold, a water battle… well she didn’t drink, but he might get thirsty himself. Better bring snacks too then, he sprinted down his stairs and grabbed a few items from the pantry. A popcorn bag, maybe he could pop it while searching somehow, and some granola bars.

       As he was about to run back up to his backpack, he heard the door open to the gem’s rooms.

       “Yo, Ste-man, what up?” Amethyst waved and walked over with a strut in her step, “Those are some nice snacks, wanna share?”

       Steven shook his head, motioning to his backpack upstairs, “No, these are for my mission! I’m going to get Pearl.” Out of instinct, he pulled the food items behind his back so Amethyst couldn’t grab them.

       At the mention of Pearl, however, Amethyst’s face crumpled, “Aw man, Steven…” Amethyst put her hand on top of Steven’s head, and smiled with tearful eyes at him, “Garnet and I don’t think Pearl can come back on her own. She would have by now you know? But don’t worry. We’re going to find her alright? Don’t you worry, I’m sure she’s just lost or something. Garnet and I will find her.”      

       “Promise?”

       Amethyst grinned wide with pointed teeth, “Promise.”

       

       A week went by with Garnet and Amethyst popping in and out of the warp pad every day. They went one way then another, and each time they came back Steven would rush forward and hug Garnet’s legs while asking if they had found Pearl.

       Each time they answered no.

       He kept a log of all the places they checked, asking them which places they’d been and writing down careful notes on just what they had seen. Apparently, somewhere near a mountain he’d never been, there was a new gem monster. They hadn’t thought anything of it, as gem monsters pop up from time to time, but Steven was suspicious.

       “What color was it?” He asked, attentive with his notepad out. Garnet had given him permission, said it might be a good idea to keep track of things, so he always asked questions.

       Amethyst snorted, “What’s that matter? Gem monster’s a gem monster. We’ll take care of it with Pearl when we find her.”

       Garnet agreed wordlessly, showing her acceptance of what Amethyst had said rather than stating it. Steven protested, “It matters! Tell me!”

       The purple gem sighed, “I dunno, blue I geuss? Look - ”

       “It was blue, with a light, peach-colored mane of feathers on its head. Why do you want to know Steven?” Garnet asked, interrupting Amethyst and kneeling in front of the small boy.

       Steven looked down at his notes, carefully tracing Pearl’s name that he’d scrawled at the top to remind him of why he was taking such notes, “Well… Amethyst said she wouldn’t be able to come back on her own… So I thought, if you couldn’t find her as Pearl Pearl, you might find her as a Pearl Centipeedle or something. You know, Pearl said any gem could do that. So maybe she did.”

       Amethyst guffawed, “Pearl wouldn’t corrupt like that Steven, she’s really strong and she’s been around for, like, forever. I mean if the loss of Ro— “  She shut her mouth just as she realized what she’d been about to say, eyes going wide as she looked at Steven to see if he’d noticed.

       “Losing people can corrupt gems?” Steven’s high-pitched exclamation rang out in the home.

       “Yes Steven, it very well can. But it didn’t because Pearl is strong. She wouldn’t corrupt easily, not unless her gem was damaged. The last mission she went on wasn’t that tough; Pearl could have handled it easily. It makes it unlikely that Pearl corrupted,” Garnet shot a look at Amethyst, who was scrubbing at the floor beneath her feet with one toe of her shoe, “See corruption is when damage happens inside a gem. It’s like when you feel hurt and cry, only much more painful.”

       “Oh,” Steven stood there for a second, still tracing Pearl’s name, “So unless Pearl was really hurt, she wouldn’t become a giant bird?”

       Garnet stood, a light smile visible, “Exactly,” she ruffled his hair and then headed inside the temple.

       Amethyst hugged Steven, “Don’t worry Steve, Pearl can take care of herself.”

       It was time to grab the cheeseburger.

       

       By the time the gems realized the warp pad had taken Steven to his destination, he was already halfway up the mountain and panting, “Why didn’t I bring lion?”

       The air was still, a warm summer breeze rolled in from down the mountain. Evergreens swayed in the breeze, brushing against his skin and making him itch as the forest grew denser. It grew darker, his backpack slowed him down but he made good time and eventually arrived at the summit. It was a really short mountain, much to his surprise.

       “Pearl?” He called, looking around. All he saw were broken twigs, bushes ripped up, and an absence of trees. Holes littered the ground, and large chunks of dirt were strewn all over.

       “PEARL?” He called again, certain he was in the right area, “Pearl please! I just want to talk! Please come out!”

       In the distance, he could hear Garnet and Amethyst calling for him, yelling at him. If he was going to get grounded, he was going to find Pearl first.

       “Pearl, it’s okay! You can come out!”

       A loud thump happened behind him, and the ground shook as he tumbled forward into a somersault. He quickly stood and turned to see the monstrous bird that had landed behind him. Just as Garnet had described, it was blue (robin’s egg blue with little specks of white chasing each other throughout the wings) with a peach colored mane of feathers that crested the top of the majestic creature’s head. The beak was twisted, jutting forward with imprecisions that fit in well with the mismatched feet. While one was longer, the shorter leg managed to be thinner with longer claws. Despite this, the bird stood fully erect and still managed to be level.

       “Hi Pearl, you’re really pretty as a bird,” Steven’s first thought and words were. He took in the creature, smiling, “I’ve never seen you as anything but Pearl Pearl so this is pretty cool! Can you hear me in there Pearl?”

       The bird cocked its head; slightly opening it’s mouth and cawing softly as Steven came a little closer.

       “Come on Pearl, you know me! It’s Steven! You love me,” The boy grinned, fisting both of his hands and placing them on his hips in a Wonder Woman pose, “I’m Steven Quartz Universe! And you’re Pearl.”

       The bird shut it’s mouth, lowering its head until the eyes were level with Steven.

       “Look, I know you’re hurt… but I’m going to fix that alright?” Steven reached forward, gently touching the closest feather. It was soft, like his blanket but warm without him needing to transfer body heat into it. The bird, slowly and with great hesitation, turned its beak into Steven’s hand. He grinned, “I knew you’d recognize me. Don’t worry Pearl, I’ll make everything better.”

       As the bird began to shut its eyes, the worse possible outcome happened. Amethyst’s whip wrapped around its neck, and she yanked.

       “Stay away from him!”

       “Amethyst no!” But Steven shouted too late, and the bird reared up and flapped its wings using their complete width. It flapped wildly and jerked its to get rid of the whip. Garnet showed up a second later, punching the face of the bird into the ground.

       Everything stopped. The bird lay there for a second; seeming to assess the danger it was in. Then, with a clever little gleam in the corner of its eyes, it whipped around and used its tail to knock Garnet and Amethyst down. It screeched triumphantly, and another caw, yanked itself into the sky.

       Then it dive-bombed and knocked Amethyst back hard enough that she hit a tree and then poofed.

       “Amethyst,” Garnet called, quickly heading over to the fallen gem, only to be stopped as the bird snapped its beak between them.

       “No Pearl!” Steven thrust himself in front of Garnet, watching as the bird cawed and began to attack again, “You don’t have to do this! You’re good Pearl, and you’ve shown me how strong you are. You’re incredible and I need you Pearl. I need you to be Pearl Pearl again. Please.”

       Mid-swoop, the bird paused, contemplating the small adversary before it. It flapped its wings a few times, still watching as the boy began to cry, “Please don’t hurt anyone Pearl, I love you and I don’t want to see you hurt when you figure out what you’ve done. Please, it’s okay now.”

       The bird made a soft chattering sound, and then it landed. Settling down into the stance it had before being attacked, it cawed softly at Steven.

       “See Garnet?” Steven said as he walked away from the fusion, “It is Pearl.”

       He didn’t pay attention to Garnet as the fusion retrieved Amethyst’s gem and watched him deal with the bird.

       “Pearl please,” Steven reached out, offering his hands to the bird, “It’s okay now.”

       The bird placed its beak into his hands, eyes meeting his with their blue irises sparkling from the intelligence that Pearl had, and cawed softly.

       “I don’t know how to change you back Pearl, but it’ll be okay,” Steven murmured as he pet the beak softly, “I’ll take care of you until then. Okay?”

       Another soft caw.

       “I’m going to say that’s a yes!” Steven grinned and his tears began to dry.

       He hugged the bird’s beak and laughed, “I missed you Pearl.”

       The bird cawed in response.

 

 


	2. Bringing Her Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They manage to get Pearl home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so someone mentioned this might be cool to continue. It'll be a shorter fic, but I have an idea and Imma write it.

The warp pad was halfway down the mountain. It wasn’t exceptionally far for a gem to travel, but Steven was just Steven. He was half-human, and a little boy who was very worn out. Garnet volunteered to carry him.

However, Bird Pearl disagreed, stepping in and gently picking him up with her beak and setting him amongst her back feathers. Despite the protest Amethyst gave, Garnet allowed it, blocking Amethyst from rushing the bird.

The bird clawed at the ground, seeming to adjust her shoulders with care for the bundle that lay between them and already snoring softly. She was careful, gentle with her movements. A soft cluck could be heard every time Steven shifted.

They began their descent down the mountain, Amethyst and Garnet were silent.

Thud, thud, thud, the bird seemed to shrink before their eyes. She had started out extremely large, probably the size of a small house, but with each step, each caw and gentle nudge of Steven, she shrunk until she was only the size of two horses stacked atop one another. Steven, rather than disappearing in her feathers, was eventually fully visible.

He laid against her shoulder blades, his legs curled around her chest. He was propped up by her wings, and when he began to slide Bird Pearl would press her shoulder blades together and lift her wings so he could settle back into the spot he was in before.

While Amethyst still didn’t feel save with Steven being on Pearl’s back while she was corrupted, Garnet began to trust her more. The little things, like turning around and nudging him with her beak, reminded her of Pearl’s piggy back rides when she was healthy and uncorrupted.

That didn’t mean she wouldn’t keep an eye on them. Oh no, she was going to watch Bird Pearl very closely.

 

Back at home, Bird Pearl immediately stepped forward into the wooden house and broke the walls and floor. Steven woke.

“Wah?” He asked, rubbing his eyes and yawning. The bird clucked, tapping against his hands and then removing him from her back so he could go to his own bed. He walked with a shuffling gait, yawning and mumbling while he made his way to the stairs. Garnet watched, a small smile on her face, and Amethyst giggled when he bumped into the table.

The bird pecked Amethyst on the head.

“Hey!” Amethyst muttered, rubbing her scalp, “Stupid bird, if I didn’t think it was Pearl before…”

Garnet’s smile fades, she’s back to her usual cool demeanor as she turns to examine the bird.  Its head pokes the roof, shards of the house are everywhere, and the wings she most likely needed to get out were trapped beneath the roof and fluttered about breaking more things. Unless they wanted to destroy the entire roof, there was no getting Bird Pearl out of this mess.

She steps on the platform, motioning to the bird and waiting until it’s fully settled on the pad again before warping.

While startled, the bird does nothing but flap her wings in mild confusion. She’s calm, assessing Garnet and clucking to herself.

They arrive at the warp closest to their home, in a little forest with trees that come up to the bird’s neck. It’s still far away, but there is no avoiding the destruction Bird Pearl would cause if she tried to leave via Steven’s home.

“Fly back, we don’t want to destroy the rest of the house.”

The bird complies, and Garnet stands, slightly surprised, alone on the warp pad. She’ll have to fix the house before the bird comes back.

 

Steven wakes up to a complete renovation, and breakfast waiting on the counter. Rather than grabbing the breakfast, he sprints to the bathroom holding his belly and gritting his teeth. Upon coming out, he sees that his breakfast is chocolate chip waffles with whip cream and a cherry. Not a together breakfast by any means, but a yummy one.

Halfway through his meal, a squawk and a thud shakes the house.

He rushes out and gawks at Amethyst, whose whip is around Bird Pearl’s neck.

“Amethyst! No!” Steven charges in, only to be stopped by Garnet.

“We need to bubble her Steven, she can’t stay a bird.”

“Yes she can! This is like with centipeetle, you can’t just bubble her. She’s Pearl, Garnet! Bird Pearl, yes, but still Pearl!” He’s striking another wonder woman pose, convinced what he was doing would be good for the family.

Garnet hears Amethyst groan just as she gives in, “Amethyst.”

Amethyst undoes the whip while muttering under her breath. Steven rushed over to Bird Pearl, petting her head while she stood back up. She was smaller than he remembered, her wings not as wide and her beak not as twisted.

Her legs were the same height.

“You okay Pearl?”

The bird shook him off, squawking and motioning to Amethyst with her wing. Amethyst made faces at the bird, pulling down skin to reveal the bottom of her eyes. Another squawk, then Bird Pearl pecked Amethyst on the head.

“Pearl! No pecking Amethyst!” Steven shouts, and the bird almost looks chastised. She swivels her head, eyes making contact with Steven’s as she caws softly. Steven giggles.

“Aw Pearl, I could never stay mad at you!” He hugs her head.

Garnet makes a noise behind them, “If that’s Pearl, do you know how we can cure her Steven?”

He bites bit lip, just briefly, before his eyes widen and he grins, “Mom’s fountain? Her gems hurt right?”

“This is mental Steven, Rose's fountain heals physical injuries.” Amethyst buts in, avoiding a swipe of Pearl’s wings.

“But that’s still an injury right? If someone’s hurt mentally?” He stands there, feeling the headbutt of Pearl against his shoulder, trying to assess.

“Not really buddy, sometimes you just gotta let people work through their own problems.” Amethyst answers, looking sheepish and rubbing on of her arms with the other hand.

“Oh.” He sits in the sand, one hand on his chin and the other across his belly. Bird Pearl sits as well, curling around him and enjoying when his hand strayed to pet her neck, “Maybe Connie would know…”


	3. What Connie has to say

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven asks for Connie's help in curing Pearl

“No way! Pearl’s a bird?” Connie came as soon as she was able, just a day later when Bird Pearl had already destroyed the front porch.

Steven grinned at her, “Yeah!” His smile quickly faded, “But she didn’t pick to be a bird. We gotta help her. See,” he pressed his index fingers together and muttered while explaining, “Her gem got corrupted? Like, the monster we fight all the time, but without getting cracked or anything. We don’t really know what caused it, so we’ve been trying to find out how to fix it.”

Connie listened, nodding everytime he looked up at her. When he finished with wide eyes and a pouting lip, she strikes a thoughtful pose. One finger on her lip, and a fist against her hip, she responded, “Have you tried your mom’s fountain? Or using your spit?”

Steven sighs, “Well mom’s fountain is for physical injuries, and so’s my spit, and Garnet and Amethyst think this is in her mind.”

Connie lights up, “Oh! She needs a therapist then! My mom talks about them sometimes, my dad had to have one for awhile at one point. They’re like doctors,” She puts both index fingers to either temple, “but for your mind!”

Steven jumps up and down, “That’s brilliant!” Then he becomes thoughtful, “Where can we find a therapist?”

Connie pauses before snapping her fingers, “We can go to my dad’s! They keep in touch, it’s always good to know a therapist when you live a stressful lifestyle,” She shrug, “Or that’s what my mom says.”

“Isn’t he a little far away?”

Connie grins, “Not at all! He’s in Beach City! I’m not sure where though, I could ask my dad?”

Steven nods, “Or we could look them up in that phone book my dad gets!”

“Yeah!”

 

Steven’s dad is confused, “Wait, Pearl’s a bird?”

Steven nods, “And we need to find her a therapist so they can help fix her.”

Greg nods, “Well alright, no harm in lending you my phone book I suppose. Just don’t go calling random people alright?”

The kids nod, beaming, “Promise!” They shout in unison, gigging when he hands them the book and then sprinting back towards Steven’s home. Sand is kicked up beneath their feet as they run, Steven holding the phone book above their heads as they laugh together.

“Pearl!” He yells at the top of his lungs.

A bird head shoots up from the sand in the distance, looking directly at him by following the sound of his voice. She sees them running towards her and caws loudly at Steven, not moving to meet but watching him and Connie approach. Her plumage is raised, similar to when a dog raises their hackles, and she watches the sand beneath their feet with agitation showing in her features.

The children slowed, “What is it Pearl?” Steven calls out.

The sand shifts as Steven speaks, lifting him and Connie into the air and eliciting a sound Steven hadn’t heard from Bird Pearl before. She rose, flapping her wings back and stretching out her neck. The sand drained away all around them, falling downwards in gentle arcs and they rose higher and higher.

“Pearl!” Connie called waving her arms in circles to keep her balance, “I don’t think we can stay on this much longer.”

Pearl reacts, honking like the trumpets of the damned while lunging forward. She snapped up Connie in her mouth, wheeling back down to the ground and dropping her off before launching herself towards Steven. However, it was obvious now that what rose out of the sand was not a normal hindrance in the gems live.

It was a giant gem monster.

Four eyes stared at Pearl, two red and the other two green, glaring due to the loss of their precious cargo. Steven sat atop the head, looking confused and concerned.

A hand smacked Pearl down against the sand, sending waves over Connie and forcing her to back away from the fight. Bird Pearl got back up and hissed, lunging again, this time dodging the hands that attempted to swat her out of the sky. She manages to snatch Steven in her mouth, but on the way back down she was hit and she crashed into the sand.

Steven crawled out of her mouth and saw that she was not moving.

“Pearl!” Connie ran over, grabbing Steven’s hand and tried to pull him away.

“Come on Steven! We have to get Garnet and Amethyst!”

Steven shook off Connie’s hand, “I’m not leaving Pearl!”

It was a second in Connie’s mind, watching the devotion and Steven shaking the bird to make up her mind, “Good idea, I’ll go get them! Stay safe Steven!”

He nodded, giving her a weak smile before turning back to Pearl, “Come on Pearl! You have to get up! You’re gunna get hurt even more if we don’t move. Come on Pearl!”

The gem monster makes a sound, shifting more sand as it moves towards Pearl and Steven. It’s a mass of limbs, a color pattern that consists of red and green swirls up the body and into the head. It’s tall, giant in many ways, and stands above the sand with a race of rage. It screams, and the air feels restricts around them.

“Go away! Why do you have to hurt people?” Steven shouts, flinging the phonebook that he’d forgotten in Pearl’s mouth at the creature, “Pearl is nice! She doesn’t deserve this!”

The creature showed confusion, it’s eyes twisting about themselves to peer at him. They moved along the face, and stalks twisted outwards to peer in multiple directions. The gem was shifting, changing forms, and Steven was fascinated to watch.

When its eyes settled, it watched Steven for a few seconds. Silence settles, and then the creature screeched loud enough for Steven to be forced into clapping his hands over his ears.

Its hand came towards them. 


	4. Resolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back Pearl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently I REALLY like it when Pearl explains things to Steven.

The hand is stopped by a fist punching upwards and sending it away. A whip wraps around its head and the force pulls the creature downward. Steven hears shouting, people are running  towards him across the sand, but he stays with Pearl. His concern is for Pearl.

The bird caws lightly as he strokes its beak.

“Pearl!” He whispered, and his gem glows. Just as another hand is about to hit them, his bubble expands. It’s not the usual size of a bubble, it’s larger. It engulfs both him and Pearl, and it glows too.

It glows so bright Steven can’t see anything.

It shatters a moment later, and all along the sand there is glass. It’s pink glass, hardened and crunching beneath the feet of the people approaching.

“Steven!” It’s Connie, and she’s standing beside him gasping, “Steven look!”

In his hands is Pearl’s gem.

“I… I didn’t hurt her did I?” Steven panics, thrusting the gem towards Connie’s face, “She looks alright right?”

“Steven, she’s fine!” Connie assures him, “I’m sure you just helped her.” She kneels beside him and pats his back, “Come on Steven, lets get you out of here while Garnet and Amethyst take care of the monster.”

Amethyst picks them both up a second later, “Actually, I’m carrying you guys home. Garnet said she’s got it and no one wants to see anyone else hurt.”

Steven giggles, “Amethyst, I thought you’d want to be part of the action.”

She grunts, “Yeah Ste-man, but Garnet’s the boss. She said something along the lines of “do it” with that whole creepy vibe she gets when she’s mad.”

The house approaches and the three of them scramble inside just as Pearl’s gem begins to glow.

“Um, Steven. How long’s Pearl been in her gem?”

“A couple minutes.”

Amethyst is looking at Pearl’s gem, then at Steven, “Let’s set her down Steven, she’s never regenerated this fast.”

Steven doesn’t, just shakes his head, “She’ll be fine Amethyst! You regenerated this fast.”

“Stev-!”

Pearl reforms, as herself, with her sash intact and the only little difference is a tiny discoloration in her hair. A streak of hair, stretching from her temple back to its point, is teal now. She grins and hugs Steven with the force of a gem.

“Steven you did it!”

“Pearl!” He hugs back just as much, and in the corner of their eyes, Amethyst is seen shuffling her feet.

“Well come on Amethyst, you know you want a hug.” Pearl’s eye twinkle at her, and if Amethyst had any doubts before, they’re all gone now. Connie joins in too.

They hug for a few seconds.

“Where’s Garnet?” Pearl asks, and then her eyes go wide and she breaks away from the hug, “Bloodstone…. Did you guys see her? Is she fully corrupted?”

But she doesn’t stick around to find out, she’s out the door with her spear drawn.

“What just happened?” Comes from Connie, glancing between Amethyst and Steven. Steven shrugs.

 

They wait inside, like Garnet told them, and when Pearl comes back battered, bruised, but smiling, they all greet her. Garnet is right behind her, holding two gems in her hand.

“Steven… remember how Garnet said gems corrupt for certain reasons?”

He nods, glancing at Garnet who stands still behind Pearl, who kneels down to talk to him eye-to-eye.

“I’d like you to meet some friends of Mine, and Rose I suppose. They’re a little odd, mostly kept to themselves, but together… they’re like Garnet,” As Pearl says this, Garnet hands her the gems she carried in. One is deep red in color, almost resembling blood, and the other a deep, vibrant green that reminds him of the forests he’d seen in books, “These are my friends Steven.”

Pearl waits until he nods his understanding before continuing, “Now one, is called Chalcedony.” Pearl holds up the darker green one, “She’s really sweet, quite kind, but outgoing. Willing to try anything. She’s tough, and unrelenting in getting someone to listen.” Then pearl holds the red one, “The other is called Hematite. Homeworld considers her a “minor gem” or, in the very least, a second class citizen.”

Steven glances between Pearl and the gems in her hand, “What? She looks like a gem.”

“I couldn't tell you Steven. But I do know it’s why Chalcedony brought her here, to help out Rose. She’s shy, but hard enough to take a few punches. They’re been together forever, and they even showed Garnet how to fuse.”

His eyes light up and he’s grinning, “Really?”

Pearl laughs lightly, “Really, Garnet can tell you that story though,” then she sighs and gentle flicks her wrist to bubble both of the gems, “I thought you’d want to meet them before we bubble them.”

They’re gone a second later, and Pearl almost looks haunted.

Steven sombers quickly, and asks in a quiet voice, “Are they why you turned into a bird, Pearl?”

She sighs, “Yes Steven, but I’ll tell you that story another day. Okay?”

“Okay.”

 

Days go by, weeks go by, and Pearl slowly recovers. Garnet doesn’t allow her on missions, and Amethyst doesn’t tease her nearly as much. She’s cooking Steven’s meals, and dusting the house every day. Sometimes he worries about whether she’s bored.

“I’m never bored Steven, it’s more that I get restless with having to sit around… and never leave… and I don’t get to practice, as Garnet doesn’t want me to overexert my gem. So I’m not bored, just restless.”

He doesn’t really believe her, but Pearl is insistent and he is okay with that. At least he gets to hang out with her and watch movies.

“Hey Pearl?” He asks in the middle of watching the 10th in a line of Samurai movies.

“Yes Steven? Oh that’s not even a real sword move. I don’t understand how you can watch this after I showed you how wrong this is.” She’s still watching the TV, glancing between it and the frozen Steven, “Is something wrong?”

“Could you tell me about your friends? Like… why they were corrupted?”

Pearl turns off the TV, and she sighs. It’s a hollow sigh, one of resolution and determination but still ringing like she doesn’t wish to give in.

“Of course Steven, on one condition.”

He nods.

“You understand why my gem did what it did.” She pauses, raising a brow at his second nod, “See, gems get emotionally attached. If they are too attached, with or without fusing, and one dies… well it’s considered traumatizing. It’s why we lost so many good gems after the war. Those monsters are the ones that survive but couldn’t handle thinking of all those that didn’t.”

Steven makes a little ‘o’ with his mouth as he listens.

“Well, out of those that survived, there was only a handful, over half corrupted. We saw… “ It almost looks like Pearl is going to choke on her words, but she waves it off like its nothing and continues, “We saw a lot of things Steven. War isn’t pretty. But we won!”

She sighs and it’s like the weight of the world settles on her shoulders. Her knees come close to her chest, but her arms are loosely draped across the floor.

“At least that’s what I tell myself. To be honest, I almost corrupted after the war. But, with almost all the people she’d saved corrupting and going out to be alone, Rose clung to me. She begged of me to not let go, to not… do that. So I didn’t. I fought it.” Now Pearl is tapping the floor with her fingers, her eyes glazing over, “and then I corrupt upon finding my friends. Perhaps it was because I remembered why I didn’t in the first place. I’m sorry Steven, I almost abandoned you.”

He shakes his head and hugs her, “It’s okay Pearl, you were hurt. That happens. Amethyst regenerated a whole bunch at one point. You just became a bird instead of regenerating.”

She laughs, and her eyes sparkle just a little while returning the hug, “I did become a bird. That was an unusual feeling.”

He grins at her, and she smiles softly at him.

“Can I know about your friends now?”

“Well, Steven, what do you want to know?”


End file.
